Car-coupling.



- r L'. N. SINGIN.

GAR couPLING.' urLIuATIo'N FILED um 2s, i910.

y Patented Nov. 26, 1912.

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CAR GOUPLING. APPLTQAT10N FILED HAY 2a, 1910.

`P atellld. NOV. 26, 1912.'

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v GAR ooUPLmG.y r l APPLICATION FILED MAY 1910. v

`Patented Nov. 26, 1912 ssHEnTs-SHBBT' s.

LOUIS N. SINGIN, 0E WALLS, PENNSYLVANIA.

ca 'efconrmne Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 26, 1912.'

Application filed May 23, 1910. Serial No. 562,960. f

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that'I, Louis N. SINGIN, a citizen of the United States, 'and resident of Walls, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements i'n Car-Couplers,

` of which the'following is a specification.

This invention relates to car couplers, and particularly to automatic couplers of what is known as the vertical plane type, and this invention lis an improvement of the device shown in myprior Patent No. 497,930, granted May 23, 1893.

In the class of couplers described in the patent referred to, the locking means will by creeping action tend to move to unlocking position.

One of the objects of this invention therefore is to provide an anti-creeping `device which will prevent the creeping of the locking member.

The knuckle is generally pivoted to the draw head by means of apivot pin. Now it often happens that this pivot pin will be broken due to the enormous strain on it, and another object of this invention therforeis to-provide a supplemental means which will hold the parts in position if such breakage occurs.

Another object is to place the material of the knuckle members where the strain will be the greatest so as to utilize the ma# terial with the greatest ei'iiciency.

Another. object is to combine with the draw head a valve casing for the air and stcamconnections, and interconnect a valve for this casing with the knuckle in such a manner that they may be operated simultaneously when the cars are coupled.

Further objects will appear from the detail description.,

The invention will be described in co'nnection with the accompanying drawings, in whichr Figure 1 is a View showing the abutting edds of two cars with the invention applied thereto, one of the couplers being shown in section; F ig. 2 is an end view of a car showing the invent-ion applied thereto;'l3`ig. 3 is a section showing the locking and anticrccping device; Fig. 4 is a similar section showing the parts in another position; Fig. 5 is asimilar section showing the parts in a third position.; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6--6, Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7--7, Fig. 6.

The couplers on the cars are' of similar but complementary construction, and therefore the description of one will be suicient.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the draw head in which is pivoted a knuckle 11 by a pin 12 passing through the knuckle and the draw head. The knuckle is provided with a segment provided with teeth intermeshing with a. locking segment 13, which is secured to an angular portion 14 of the shaft or stemof a valve hereinafter more particularly referred to. The intermeshing teeth of the movable jaw or knuckle and vthe locking segment are indicated by the reference character l5. The segment 13 has a locking tooth provided with a locking shoulder 16 which cooperates with a lock.- ing pin 17 which is L--shaped or angular in section and provided with aportion 18 which engages the shoulder 16 as shown in the drawings. The locking pin is provided with a guide portion 19 which extends through the draw head in a similar manner as shown in my prior patent referred tb. The locking pin has formed thereon, an ear 21, and a pivotal member 22 is pivoted on the locking pin by a pivot 'pin passing through this ear and the locking pin body. This pivotal member is provided with a head 23 which is adapted to cooperate with a cam shaped v`portion 24 on the segment 13. The pivotal member is further provided with a toe 25 for a purpose hereinafter to be described. -A sliding member 2G angular inv section extends through the cap 20 of the locking pin, and is connected to the pivotal member by means of a loop or bail 27 which passes through an elongated slot 28 in the sliding member. The loop or bail is provided with an enlarged end 29 through which passes a pivot pin to pivotally connectthis loop with the pivotal member. The slot.28 is elongated so that the enlarged ends may pass" therethrough, when the loop is placed in position. away as shown at 30 an amount. equal to the thickness of the loop. The sliding member 26 is preferably square in section and arranged to form with thepin 17 a square member which is arranged to slide in a square hole in the draw head. This mem.- ber is provided with a'ca 32'and an ear 3l which is arranged to be connected by means of a chain 33 to van arm 34 on a movable shaft 35, mounted in bearings 36 on the car body, and the shaft 35 is provided The sliding member 26 is cut v .with an operatin handle 37 so that the shaft may be osci lated to raise and lower the locking pin.

The teeth 15 are of ordinary construction but the tooth 38 on the knuckle segment and the 'tooth 39 on the operating segmeiit are enlarged as shown for the purpose here` inafter to be described. The draw head is pro-vided with inwardly extending bearing lugs 40 which coperate with similarly shaped recesses 41 in the knuckle. These bearing lugs and recesses forni a supple mental pivotal bearing as will 'appear later. The draw head is formed so as to provide shoulders 43 and 44 against which the segments abut when the knuckle is in closed and locked posi tion.

The draw head has formed thereon or cast integral therewith a valve casing 45 provided With flanged extensions 4,6, which are arranged to receive rubber nipples 47 provided with flanges 48, whereby these nipples may be secured to the valve easing by means of rings 49 and fastenings, lextending through the rings` and flanges on the nipples and extensions lrespectively. Springs 50 are further interposed between .the nipples and the casingbpdy so as to press these nipples outwardly. As shown there is a rotatable valve 51 within the casing 45, which valve is provided with ports 52, 53, whereby it is adapted `to control the passage of fluid through both the air and steam pipes. The stem 0r shaft of said valve extends up- Wardly through the casing of the draw head and is provided therein with the angular portion 14 to which the segment 13 of the coupler is secured as before described. The air pipe 54 has an extension 56 which is con nected to the whistle. Suitable valves 57 and 58 are provided to close connections. The valve stein has connected to its lower end an arm 59 which is pivotally connected to a bar 60, provided with a4 boss 61 which slides on the shaft 35. This bar (50 is further provided with a suitable handle.'

62 so that the device may be manually operated. The valve stein or shaft 51 is maintained in position by means of a nut G3 and a cotter pin 64, and terminates above the casing 10 in a portion 65 angular in cross section on which may be fitted any suitable handle or turning means.A

In Figs. 2 and 3, the knuckle is shown in open position. In this position, the lower edge a of the locking pin and the edge /1 of the pivotal member 22 will rest on top of the segment 13. lt will be understood that thel weight to the left of the member 22 due to the member 26 is greater than the weight on the right, so that this member will be maintained in position shown' in Fig. 3. If now, the knuckles are nterlocked and closed, the knuckle and segment 13 Will be rotated to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6, the

shoulder 16 will pass from underneath the lower edge a of the locking pin and this locking pin can now be dropped and ordinarily will be dropped by gravity to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 6. In this position the redge 18 will engage the shoulder 16, and the end 23 of the pivotal member will engage the edge 2t of the segment. Inthis positionthe knuckle will be'firmly and securely locked in closed position. lThe segment 13 is undercut at 24 so as to form a rain or wedging surface which coperates with the similarly shaped surface 23. If how, there is any tendency for the locking pin to be raised as by creeping action, or, in other words, if a force be applied tothe bott-om of the guide 19, the pivotal mem- 'her 22 'will wedge against the segment 13 so that all upward movement of Athe locking pin due to creeping action is prevented, When however, the pin is raised by operat ing the handle 37, then the pivotal member 22 which forms an anti-creeping device is. swung on its pivot so as to free the end 23 from the surface 24, permitting the entire pinto be raised to unlocking position shown in Fig. 5.

As this pin is moved to unlocking position, the end of the toe 25 will engage. the draw head as shown in Fig.

5, and will maintain the pin in unlocking position. The pivotal member 22 therefore forms not only an anti-creeping device but' alsoy a lock for holding the pinin unlocked position. In Fig. 5 the segment 13 is unlocked but the knuckle is still in closed position. If now the knuckle bemoved to open position shown in Fig. 3 as by the cars moving away from eachother, or by operating the handle 62, the segment 13 will move underneath the shoulder a and will contact with the edge L to move the pivotal member 22 to the position shown in Fig. 3, where it is held in a horizontal position on top ofv the segment 13. The ,knuckle is now open and ready for the next operation.

It will be seen that Vthe teeth 15 of the segments are inei'ely the operating teeth,

icc

and need not therefore be of heavy construction, since the strain will be thrown entirely on the locking tteth which are in engagement when the knuckle is locked. For this purpose, Athe locking teeth 38 and 39 are enlarged as shown in Fig. so as to be of ample size to take the heavy strains thrown upon them. The material is therefore placed where it will be inost etiicient to perform its useful functions. It often happens that the knuckle pin 12 will be sheared off or thrown out, thus causing the ears t0 become uncoupled. ln order to provide against this, the supplemental locking means are provided. It. will be noted that the lugs 40 and the recesses 41 coperate together to forni a pivotal joint. If now theV pin 12 should become broken or displaced,

the surfaces or shoulders c will be of suf: {icient strength to maintain the knuckle 1n locked position. In order that the knuckle may be re t lv replaced, the shoulders arecut away as at 42, so as to permit the knuckle pressed'outwardly by the springs. As the' lknuckles close, the nipples will engage causing them to be -rmly pressed together, the soi't rubber faces making a tight joint, since these faces are rmly pressed in engagement by the springs 50. Due to the interconnection between the knuckle and the valve, the

air and steam will bc automatically turned on and ot as the cars are coupled and unconpled. The. constructon of the shaft for the Avalve stem and thc segment 13 permits of easyremoval of the same for inspection or repairs.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from this invention, and it is, therefore, to be understood that this invention is not limited to the speciic construction shown and described.

Having thus described the invention,what isclaimed is:

l. The combination with a car coupling, anda. Huid conduit of`V the. character described, of a valve in said conduit having its stem extending directly into the coupling CasinY and therein connected with the movable ]aw by which the valve is positively moved to both open and close the conduit.

2. The combination with a car coupling, having a swinging jaw, and a fluid conduit of the chaacter described, of a rotatable Valve in said conduit adapted to turn about an axis extending inthe same direction as the axis of and connected with the movable jaw of the coupling.

3. The combination with a car coupling having a swinging ja\v,of a casing supported by 'the coupling head, fluid pressure pipes communicating with said casing, and a valve within the easing adapted to control the passage through the casing of Huid from said pipes, the stem of said valve extending through the head of the coupling and connected therein with the swinging jaw.

4. The combination with a car coupling' having a swingiugjaw, of a casing supported by and depending from the coupling head, a tiuidpressure pipe communicating with said casing, a rotatable valve Within said casing having its stem extending therethrough and into the coupling head, means within the coupling head connecting the valve stem with the swinging jaw, and a handle connected with said valve byy which it may be manually rotated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS N. SINGIN..

Witnesses:

' J. H. BRUNINGER,

ARTHUR L. BRYANT. 

